Head coach Derek McInnes is refusing to talk about the fear of regret because he is convinced Heart of Midlothian will “have a special end to the season”.
Hearts’ 1-0 defeat at Kilmarnock last weekend sparked questions about the long-time leaders’ ability to claim the Scottish Premiership despite still being two points clear of Celtic at the top.
McInnes, though, remains confident and hopes the return of key duo Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland ensures Hearts are the team that “catches fire between now and the end of the season”.
Devlin and Shankland have been missing since January with ankle and hamstring injuries respectively but both are back in full training and are set to be involved against Dundee on Saturday.
“I don’t want to talk about regrets because it’s as if it’s going to end up in disappointment,” said McInnes.
“I fully believe we are going to have a special end to the season and I’m totally committed to that. I see it, I think we can do it, I think we can be really strong right through the line.
“I want the players to play with confidence and not think about that, just go and try and make the most of the opportunity that’s there for us.”
McInnes admits he is tempted to start Devlin and Shankland against Dundee but will discuss their progress with Hearts’ medical team to avoid potentially losing the players again to injury.
“It was a significant blow when both lads went out of the team. With them coming back in, the players will get a boost and I think the support will get a boost,” he said.
“Lawrence, for me, was the best striker in the league up until he went out of the team and Cammy was arguably the best midfielder in the league, so it’s good to have both boys back at such a crucial time.
“Watching them training this week has been great, it looks as if they’ve not been away.”
McInnes hopes Harry Milne and Beni Baningime will both recover from injury in time to feature on Saturday and confirmed Tomas Magnusson could be available next week to play in a mask despite breaking his cheekbone against Kilmarnock.
The former Kilmarnock boss accepts there is “little room for error” from any of the teams at the top but says Hearts are “exactly where we want to be”.
Hearts have three wins and three defeats from their last six Premiership games – a run that has reduced their lead to two points over Celtic, with Rangers a further point behind.
“When you look at the teams around us, of the last five games, we’ve won three, Celtic have won three, Motherwell have won three, Rangers have won two – so nobody’s really catching fire,” he said.
“It shows you the difficulty. Hopefully, we can be the team that catches fire.
“I’m just glad we’re relevant, to be honest. I couldn’t think of anything worse than being mid-table now and just sitting watching this fight go on and wanting it to be us.
“We’re right in the middle of it and we’re exactly where we want to be.”
